Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 95

Ye Xi, a young man from Shanxiu Village, scalded his face with boiling water. The wealthy family from the neighboring village, who had arranged a marriage with him since childhood, broke off the engagement overnight. The villagers all laughed at Ye Xi. Even the young men who were once uglier than him mocked him, whispering behind his back that he would never be able to marry. After a while, a stranger came to Shanxiu Village. This man was tall and strong, with dark skin. He only carried a tattered bundle, bought a dilapidated thatched hut at the edge of the mountain, and settled down there. The villagers didn't dare approach him, fearing he was engaged in shady business. Ye Xi had encountered him at the foot of the mountain and by the river. He knew that the man not only farmed well but also hunted and fished, and didn't engage in gambling, drinking, or other vices. He felt that this man was a truly good and dependable man. One day, with half his face scarred from the burn, he pushed open the man's door and, standing at the entrance, blushed and asked, "Will you marry me?" The man finished the rice in his bowl, lifted his eyes to gaze at him, looked intently for a long moment, and...